(1) Field of the Invention
The subject of the invention is an environment-friendly coffin, resistant to bio-degradation and preventing bacteria- and fungi-containing substances occurring as a result of decomposition of a human corpse from penetrating into soil and ground waters. The invention represents an improved modification of technical solution revealed in Polish patent application for invention P-407427.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
From Polish patent No. P-379949 known is a coffin, designed especially for cremation, having the structure of a coffin box and a coffin lid, comprising two and three spatial structural systems, whereas each of such structural systems is determined spatially with respect to the another structural system fitting tight to it Spatial systems of the coffin box and the coffin lid are connected with each other by means of joints in the form of grooves and tongues.
Known from description of Polish utility model No W-121175 and invention No P-399618 is also a coffin for fast self-assembly comprising a box and a top attached thereto, where the box comprises two side walls, two endwalls, and a bottom connecting them, while its lid comprises two side walls, two endwalls, and a cover. Side walls of the coffin's lid are connected with the two endwalls by means of metal I-section shaped connectors driven into milled seats, and the lid top is connected with said side walls and endwalls by means of an eccentric angle joint, whereas side walls of the coffin are connected with its endwalls by means of I-section shaped connectors, while bottom of the coffin is connected with side walls and endwalls of the box by means of metal I-section shaped connectors, and all walls of both the coffin box and the coffin lid are made of a lacquered furniture board.
Known also from description of a Polish industrial design Rp-10893 is a coffin made of organic glass designed for burying human corpses in tombs, having a frame skeleton welded out of metal angle section and walls made of inorganic transparent or dimmed glass mounted in the frame structure of said skeleton. The bottom of the coffin is lined with a wooden plate with a moisture-absorbing insert mounted in it, and two grip handles are attached to each of its longer glass walls.
Further, from patent descriptions CN203139025 and US2009188089A1 known is a glass coffin designed with the objective to extend the period of preserving a human corpse, with body of said coffin made of toughened glass and equipped with an air conditioning system maintaining temperature and humidity at a constant level. By using a toughened glass to fabricate the body of the coffin, the coffin prevents the corpse from decomposing extending thus the period for which the corpse is preserved.
An inconvenience characterising coffins known from the prior art made either of wood, wood-base materials, or glass, consists in that they allow the substances generated in the course of decomposition of a human corpse to permeate to soil and ground waters. An additional inconvenience of technical solutions used in environment-friendly coffins known to date consists also in difficulties related to lifting the heavy stone lid of the coffin up to open position and insufficient rigidity of the inner cuboidal element made of glass fibre mat.
For clarity, in the following there are explanations of meaning of some terms used in this patent description, namely:                natural stone means also: granite, marble, quartzite, onyx, agglomerated marble, travertine, or natural stone veneer;        glass fibre mat means also: kevlar-carbon fibre, roving fabrics, glass-fibre reinforced polyester sections        a glue or a glue-based sealing mass means also: silicone, acrylic adhesive, a foam adhesive, an epoxy adhesive, epoxy resins, or polyurethane masses;        wood-base materials mean also: MDF boards, HDF boards, chipboards, hardboard, fibreboards, or OSB boards;        a grip handle means also: a single simple fixed handgrip made of metal and plastic, a single simple foldable handle, a simple flush-fitting handle or a handgrip with a jointing piece;        a hard material for bottom, lid, and box means: a wood, a metal, a plastic, a sintered quartzite, a sintered quartz, or a glass;        hard material for slat rectangular frames means: wood, a plastic, or a metal.        